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Typhoon Bopha, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Pablo, was the strongest
tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...
on record to ever affect the Philippine island of
Mindanao Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...
, making landfall as a Category 5
super typhoon Since 1947, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) has classified all typhoons in the Tropical cyclone basins#Northwestern Pacific Ocean, Northwestern Pacific Ocean with wind speeds of at least —the equivalent of a strong Category 4 on th ...
with winds of . The twenty-fourth tropical storm, along with being the fourth and final super typhoon of the
2012 Pacific typhoon season The 2012 Pacific typhoon season was a slightly above average season that produced 25 named storms, fourteen typhoons, and four intense typhoons. It was a destructive and the second consecutive year to be the deadliest season, primarily due to ...
, Bopha originated unusually close to the
equator The equator is the circle of latitude that divides Earth into the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Southern Hemisphere, Southern Hemispheres of Earth, hemispheres. It is an imaginary line located at 0 degrees latitude, about in circumferen ...
, becoming the second-most southerly Category 5 super typhoon, reaching a minimum latitude of 7.4°N on December 3, 2012, as only Typhoon Louise of 1964 came closer to the equator at this strength, at 7.3°N. After first making landfall in
Palau Palau, officially the Republic of Palau, is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the western Pacific Ocean. The Republic of Palau consists of approximately 340 islands and is the western part of the Caroline Islands ...
, where it destroyed houses, disrupted communications and caused
power outage A power outage, also called a blackout, a power failure, a power blackout, a power loss, a power cut, or a power out is the complete loss of the electrical power network supply to an end user. There are many causes of power failures in an el ...
s,
flooding A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant concern in agriculture, civi ...
and uprooted trees, Bopha made landfall late on December 3 in
Mindanao Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...
. The storm caused widespread destruction on Mindanao, leaving thousands of people homeless and killing 1,901 people. After hitting
Davao Oriental Davao Oriental (; ), officially the Province of Davao Oriental (; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Davao Region in Mindanao. Its capital is the city of Mati, Davao Oriental, Mati which is the most ...
and
Davao de Oro Davao de Oro, officially the Province of Davao de Oro (; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Davao Region in Mindanao. Its capital is Nabunturan while Monkayo is the most populous. It used to be part ...
provinces, Bopha shifted through the southern and central regions of Mindanao, cutting power to two provinces and triggering
landslide Landslides, also known as landslips, rockslips or rockslides, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, mudflows, shallow or deep-seated slope failures and debris flows. Landslides ...
s. More than 170,000 people fled to evacuation centers, as the system moved to the
South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by South China, in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan island, Taiwan and northwestern Philippines (mainly Luz ...
west of the
Palawan Palawan (, ), officially the Province of Palawan (; ), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of . The capital and largest c ...
island province, eventually dissipating on December 9.


Meteorological history

On November 23, the United States
Joint Typhoon Warning Center The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) is a joint United States Navy – United States Air Force command in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The JTWC is responsible for the issuing of tropical cyclone warnings in the North-West Pacific Ocean, South P ...
(JTWC) reported that a tropical disturbance had persisted, about to the south of
Pohnpei Pohnpei (formerly known as Ponape or Ascension, from Pohnpeian: "upon (''pohn'') a stone altar (''pei'')") is an island of the Senyavin Islands which are part of the larger Caroline Islands group. It belongs to Pohnpei State, one of the fou ...
in the
Federated States of Micronesia The Federated States of Micronesia (, abbreviated FSM), or simply Micronesia, is an island country in Micronesia, a region of Oceania. The federation encompasses the majority of the Caroline Islands (excluding Palau) and consists of four Admin ...
. At the time, bands of
atmospheric convection Atmospheric convection is the vertical transport of heat and moisture in the atmosphere. It occurs when warmer, less dense air rises, while cooler, denser air sinks. This process is driven by parcel-environment instability, meaning that a "par ...
were flaring around the disturbances poorly defined low-level circulation centre, while the system was located in an area of moderate vertical windshear with sea-surface temperatures of . Over the next couple of days, the system's low-level circulation centre slowly consolidated further and came under the influence of a developing anticyclone, which allowed vertical windshear to become more favourable for
tropical cyclogenesis Tropical cyclogenesis is the development and strengthening of a tropical cyclone in the atmosphere. The mechanisms through which tropics, tropical cyclogenesis occur are distinctly different from those through which temperate cyclogenesis occu ...
. On November 25, the JTWC and the
Japan Meteorological Agency The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA; ''気象庁, Kishō-chō'') is a division of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism dedicated to the Scientific, scientific observation and research of natural phenomena. Headquartered ...
(JMA) reported that disturbance had developed into a tropical depression, with the former classifying it as Tropical Depression 26W. At this time the system was located about to the southeast of
Chuuk State Chuuk State (; also known as Truk) is one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). It consists of several island groups: Nomoneas, Faichuk, Faichuuk, the Hall Islands, Namonuito Atoll (Magur Islands), Pattiw (Western Isl ...
and was moving towards the west-northwest, along the southern edge of a subtropical ridge of high pressure that was located to the south of Japan. On November 26, the movement became nearly stationary as the center organized further. Later that day, the JMA upgraded the depression to Tropical Storm ''Bopha (1224)'', and early on November 27 the JTWC followed suit after a strong burst of thunderstorms over the center. Its westward motion increased on November 28, later becoming west-southwestward. The convection gradually became better organized and wrapped into the center, indicative of a strengthening storm. However, early on November 29 the appearance degraded, with the thunderstorms limited to the southern periphery due to reduced outflow to the south. The circulation became exposed, and the JTWC noted that Bopha was unable to intensify significantly due to its low latitude and correspondingly low
Coriolis effect In physics, the Coriolis force is a pseudo force that acts on objects in motion within a frame of reference that rotates with respect to an inertial frame. In a reference frame with clockwise rotation, the force acts to the left of the moti ...
. Late on November 29, convection increased, aided by warm waters and low wind shear. At 00:00 UTC on November 30, the JMA upgraded Bopha to a severe tropical storm. A few hours later, the JTWC upgraded the storm to a typhoon, and the JMA followed suit at 18:00 UTC that day. At that time, Bopha was located about 980 km (610 mi) east-southeast of
Palau Palau, officially the Republic of Palau, is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the western Pacific Ocean. The Republic of Palau consists of approximately 340 islands and is the western part of the Caroline Islands ...
. As the system continued to intensify, organized bands of thunderstorms began to develop rapidly around the system, mostly on the western half of the storm. They later merged with Bopha, which led to the system's increase in size. Several
hot tower A hot tower is a tropical cumulonimbus cloud that reaches out of the lowest layer of the atmosphere, the troposphere, and into the stratosphere. These formations are called "hot" because of the large amount of latent heat released as water vapor t ...
s also began to rise up near the low level circulation center, with one of the hot towers reaching into the atmosphere. At around the same time, on November 30, a ragged, eye-like feature appeared in microwave imagery, which later transitioned into a pinhole eye by December 1. Early on December 3, due to the eye wall replacement cycle, the system weakened slightly into a Category 3 typhoon; however, a few hours later, as the eyewall replacement cycle ended, Bopha reintensified into a Category 4 typhoon, while the eye became well-defined again. Late on December 3, as the system continued to strengthen, the system rapidly intensified into a Category 5 super typhoon, deepening to an unofficial pressure of 918 mbar (hPa) (27.11 inHg) as stated by the JTWC at peak intensity, At 20:45 UTC on December 3 (04:45 December 4 local time), Bopha made landfall over Baganga, Davao Oriental, as a Category 5 super typhoon, and the eye dissipated just an hour after landfall. Bopha began to weaken, with convection on the eastern side of the storm decreasing as it moved through the
Sulu Sea The Sulu Sea (; Tausug: ''Dagat sin Sūg''; ; ) is a body of water in the southwestern area of the Philippines, separated from the South China Sea in the northwest by Palawan and from the Celebes Sea in the southeast by the Sulu Archipela ...
. It made landfall on the island of
Palawan Palawan (, ), officially the Province of Palawan (; ), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of . The capital and largest c ...
on December 5, before briefly weakening to a tropical storm on December 6. Late on December 7, Bopha's
central dense overcast The central dense overcast, or CDO, of a tropical cyclone or strong subtropical cyclone is the large central area of thunderstorms surrounding its circulation center, caused by the formation of its eyewall. It can be round, angular, oval, or ir ...
started to increase slightly, and the typhoon rapidly intensified from a Category 1 to a Category 4 typhoon in only six hours. Upon reintesifying, Bopha developed a well-defined eye that had deep convection near the center of the storm. On December 8, the system started to weaken due to increasing moderate wind shear. Late on December 8 into December 9, Bopha weakened rapidly from a typhoon to a tropical storm, with its convection being blown to the northeast by wind shear, exposing the low level circulation center. The remaining thin convection in the center consisted of few convective thunderstorms associated with
stratocumulus cloud A stratocumulus cloud, occasionally called a cumulostratus, belongs to a genus-type of clouds characterized by large dark, rounded masses, usually in groups, lines, or waves, the individual elements being larger than those in altocumulus, and t ...
s.


Preparations


Federated States of Micronesia and Palau

As Bopha was organizing, the
National Weather Service The National Weather Service (NWS) is an Government agency, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weathe ...
(NWS) in
Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...
issued a
tropical storm watch Tropical cyclone warnings and watches are alerts issued by national weather forecasting bodies to coastal areas threatened by the imminent approach of a tropical cyclone of tropical storm or hurricane intensity. They are notices to the local pop ...
for the FSM islands of
Nukuoro Nukuoro is an atoll in the Federated States of Micronesia. It is a municipality of the state of Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia. It is the secondmost southern atoll of the country, after Kapingamarangi. They both are Polynesian outli ...
and Lukunor. The watch was upgraded to a tropical storm warning on November 26, and the watch was expanded to include
Losap Losap is an atoll located in the Eastern Islands or Upper Mortlock Islands group in the outer islands region of the state of Chuuk in the Federated States of Micronesia. It is located to the SE of Chuuk. Losap is also the name of one of the fou ...
and
Chuuk Lagoon Chuuk Lagoon, previously Truk Atoll, is an atoll in the central Pacific Ocean. It lies about 1,800 kilometres (970 nautical miles) northeast of New Guinea and is part of Chuuk State within the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). A protective ...
. As Bopha moved westward, the office also issued a tropical storm watch for
Poluwat Poluwat, also Polowat, formerly Puluwat, is a coral atoll and a municipality of Chuuk state, Federated States of Micronesia. Name The name of the island goes back to Proto-Chuukic ''*pʷolowado''. Geography Polowat is located in the northwes ...
, and
Satawal Satawal is a solitary coral atoll of one island with about 500 people on just over 1 km2 located in the Caroline Islands in the Pacific Ocean. It forms a legislative district in Yap State in the Federated States of Micronesia. Satawal is the ...
, both of which were upgraded to warnings, and a typhoon watch was issued for
Woleai Woleai (), also known as Oleai, is a coral atoll of 22 islands in the western Caroline Islands in the Pacific Ocean, forming a legislative district in the Yap State in the Federated States of Micronesia, and located approximately west-northwest ...
. The Palau National Emergency Management Office (NEMO) issued an announcement on November 29 requesting the public to stock up with emergency supplies such as food and water for three days, portable radios with spare batteries, flashlights, and first-aid kits. The citizens of Palau were also advised to secure loose objects that might be lifted up by the strong winds, board up windows, trim tree branches that could fall and damage homes, fill up vehicles with gas, secure boats and assist their communities in preparing.


Philippines

Initially, the
National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), formerly known as the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) until August 2011, is a working group of various government, non-government, civil sector and private sect ...
(NDRRMC) advised the citizens of
Iligan Iligan, officially the City of Iligan (; Bukid: ''Ciudad ta Iligan''; Maranao: ''Bandar a Iligan''; ), is a highly urbanized city in the region of Northern Mindanao, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 363,115 ...
and
Cagayan de Oro Cagayan de Oro (abbreviated CDO and officially the City of Cagayan de Oro; ; Bukid language, Binukid: ''Ciudad ta Cagayan de Oro''; ; ) is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Regions of the Philippi ...
to prepare for the impact of the storm, as they really did not want a repeat of
Severe Tropical Storm Washi Severe Tropical Storm Washi, known in the Philippines as Severe Tropical Storm Sendong, was a late-season tropical cyclone that caused around 1,200 to 2,500 deaths and catastrophic damage in the Philippines in late 2011. Washi made landfall o ...
, which had hit when people were asleep and, therefore, had caused a large number of deaths. On December 2, the NDRRMC put parts of the central and southeastern Philippines on high alert. Relief food and medicines had been pre-positioned while thousands of people along the country's eastern border were being prepared for evacuation to safer ground in preparation for the typhoon. With Bopha expected to strike
Mindanao Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...
and
Visayas The Visayas ( ), or the Visayan Islands (Bisayan languages, Visayan: ''Kabisay-an'', ; Filipino language, Filipino: ''Kabisayaan'' ), are one of the three Island groups of the Philippines, principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, a ...
, as well as areas in
Southern Tagalog Southern Tagalog (), designated as Region IV, was an administrative region in the Philippines that comprised the current regions of Calabarzon and Mimaropa, the province of Aurora in Central Luzon, and most of the National Capital Region. ...
and
Metro Manila Metropolitan Manila ( ), commonly shortened to Metro Manila and formally the National Capital Region (NCR; ), is the capital region and largest List of metropolitan areas in the Philippines, metropolitan area of the Philippines. Located ...
, the possibility of landslides was advised in Surigao, Davao, Compostela Valley, Misamis,
Bukidnon Bukidnon (), officially the Province of Bukidnon (; ; ; Bukid language, Binukid and Higaonon language, Higaonon: ''Probinsya ta Bukidnon''), is a landlocked Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Northern Mindan ...
,
Lanao del Norte Lanao del Norte ( Cebuano: ''Amihanang Lanao''; ; Maranao: ''Pangotaraan Ranao''), officially the Province of Lanao del Norte, is a province in the Philippines located in the Northern Mindanao region. Its capital is Tubod. The province border ...
,
Lanao del Sur Lanao del Sur (; Meranaw and ; Jawi ''(Batang Arab)'': ), officially the Province of Lanao del Sur, is a province in the Philippines located in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). The capital is the city of Marawi (th ...
, Zamboanga,
Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has been ...
,
Cebu Cebu ( ; ), officially the Province of Cebu (; ), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 surrounding islands and islets. The coastal zone of Cebu is identified as a ...
,
Bohol Bohol (), officially the Province of Bohol (; ), is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region, consisting of the island itself and 75 minor surrounding islands. It is home to Bohola ...
,
Negros Negros (, , ) is the fourth largest and third most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of . The coastal zone of the southern part of Negros is identified as a site of highest marine biodiversity importance in the Coral Tr ...
,
Panay Panay is the sixth-largest and fourth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of and a total population of 4,542,926, as of 2020 census. Panay comprises 4.4 percent of the entire population of the country. The City of Il ...
and
Mindoro Mindoro is the seventh largest and eighth-most populous island in the Philippines. With a total land area of 10,571 km2 ( 4,082 sq.mi ), it has a population of 1,408,454, as of the 2020 census. It is located off the southwestern coast of ...
. "Keep updated on the bulletins from PAGASA. Always cooperate with the local authorities as the National Government is all ready to provide all assistance to those that may be affected," Valte said. Also, disaster authorities in Bicol were alerted and getting ready with their disaster contingency plan as the typhoon was closing in.On December 3, around 2,000 families living in Hinatuan, on the province of
Surigao del Sur Surigao del Sur (Surigaonon language, Surigaonon: ''Probinsya nan Surigao del Sur''; ; ), officially the Province of Surigao del Sur, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Caraga Regions of the Philippines ...
, were evacuated. Since schools would be turned into evacuation centers, Candelario Viola, the mayor of Hinatuan, ordered the suspension of all classes in the town.
Mar Roxas Manuel "Mar" Araneta Roxas II (; born May 13, 1957) is a Filipino politician who served as a Senator of the Philippines. He is the grandson and namesake of former Philippine President Manuel Roxas. He served in the Cabinet of the Philippines ...
, the Interior and Local Government Secretary, said that
National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), formerly known as the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) until August 2011, is a working group of various government, non-government, civil sector and private sect ...
’s disaster monitoring systems were set up in several regions across the Philippines. "In accordance with President Aquino’s marching orders to ensure zero casualties from disasters, as much as possible, I have ordered our regional directors to make sure that the necessary precautions are undertaken to mitigate the effects of Tropical Storm Bopha," he said. "We have our existing protocols, and it is just a matter of implementing them and making other necessary preparations as appropriate." Roxas added. As preparations continued, Storm signal number 1 was declared over Siquijor, Bohol, Biliran, Camotes Island, Cebu Southern Leyte, Leyte, Eastern Samar, Western Samar, Surigao del Norte, Siargao Island, Dinagat Island, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, rest of Davao Oriental, Davaol del Norte including Samal Island, Compostela Valley, Bukidnon, Misamis Occidental, Misamis oriental, Camiguin, Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur. Also, signal number 2 was raised over Surigao del Sur and the northern part of Davao Oriental. The national police,
coast guard A coast guard or coastguard is a Maritime Security Regimes, maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with cust ...
(PCG) and
navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...
had placed their personnel on standby and their disaster-response units in preparation for Bopha's impact. "We are ready to conduct rescue operations in flooded areas. Let us warn operators of small vessels, motor
banca Banca may refer to: Places * Bangka Island, an island lying east of Sumatra, part of Indonesia * Banca, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, a commune of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques ''département'', France * Banca, Tasmania, a locality in Tasmania, Australia * ...
s, and fishing boats to avoid sailing in the southeastern and eastern section of the country where the sea is rough," said PCG spokesman Commander Armand Balilo. After staying in the South China Sea for at least 4 days, "Pablo" again threatened the western sections of Northern Luzon, and by the afternoon of December 8, public storm warning signal number 2 was raised over 3 provinces, and 11 provinces were inside signal number 1. Forecasters said the storm had turned and is due to hit the Philippines on December 9.


Impact


Federated States of Micronesia and Palau

As Typhoon Bopha passed to the south of the island,
power outage A power outage, also called a blackout, a power failure, a power blackout, a power loss, a power cut, or a power out is the complete loss of the electrical power network supply to an end user. There are many causes of power failures in an el ...
s occurred across the island chain. Communication network disruptions delayed updates on damage assessments after the storm passed. Initial damage assessments in
Koror Koror is the state comprising the main commercial centre of the Republic of Palau. It consists of several islands, the most prominent being Koror Island (also ''Oreor Island''). It is Palau’s most populous state. History In the oral tradition of ...
indicated slight damage, with uprooted trees and power disruption. Outside of Koror, coastal villages were affected by strong winds and rain, which flooded outlying areas. Heavy rains flooded areas of
Peleliu Peleliu (or Beliliou) is an island in the island nation of Palau. Peleliu, along with two small islands to its northeast, forms one of the sixteen states of Palau. The island is notable as the location of the Battle of Peleliu in World War II. ...
, and houses in
Babeldaob Babeldaob (also Babelthuap) is the largest island in the island nation of Palau. It is in the western Caroline Islands, and the second largest island (after Guam) in the Micronesia region of Oceania. Palau's capital, Ngerulmud, is located on Babel ...
were destroyed.


Philippines


December 4

Typhoon Bopha made landfall over
Mindanao Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...
on December 4, destroying homes, cutting power and forcing the cancellation of flights and ferry services. There was only one confirmed death at that moment, but local media said people were injured by flying debris and falling trees. Typhoon Bopha packed winds of up to 175 mph when it struck the island nation, bringing torrential rains that flattened entire villages, leaving thousands homeless, as well as washing out roads and bridges needed by rescue personnel trying to reach stricken regions. The death toll from Bopha rose to 82 as rescuers attempted to reach areas cut off in
flash flood A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice and snow. Flash f ...
s and mudslides. There were 49 fatalities in a mudslide in the mountainous town of New Bataan alone, and another 33 died in rural settlements elsewhere in
Mindanao Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...
. Joe Curry, the Philippines head of
Catholic Relief Services Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. Founded in 1943 by the Bishops of the United States, the agency provides assistance to 130 million people in more than 110 ...
, said, "Authorities seem more prepared to deal with this storm. So far there's been more preparedness efforts at this time, but I think we're going to see the damage eportscome out later today and tomorrow." Flood waters “rampaged down a mountain, engulfing emergency shelters and washing away an army truck” the
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
(AP) reported. The typhoon had affected more than 213,000 people, demolished houses and stranded people in two provinces and parts of the Visayas region, according to a disaster agency. More than 179,000 people were in evacuation centers. School classes were suspended in many cities, and dozens of flights were cancelled, according to the national disaster agency. Nearly 5,000 travellers had been left stranded at ports across the country as of December 5 because of disruption to ferry services.


December 5

Lieutenant Colonel Lyndon Paniza of the army’s 10th Infantry Division, said fatalities from Compostela Valley had gone up to 142, 69 of whom were from a flash flood the previous day in New Bataan. "Electrical poles snapped like matchsticks as Bopha's devastating winds howled across Mindanao, leaving large swaths of territory without power. It was the strongest weather disturbance to hit the south in two decades," the government said. Defense undersecretary Benito Ramos, who heads the national disaster and relief council, didn't give any financial estimate of the damage to agriculture and infrastructure caused by Bopha, saying estimates were still being collected. Arthur Uy, governor of the worst-hit province, Compostela Valley in Mindanao, said raging water and mud from the mountains had swept through school buildings, covered courts, town halls, and health centers where residents had taken shelter. The death toll in the province stood at 150. "The waters came so suddenly and unexpectedly, and the winds were so fierce; that compounded the loss of lives and livelihood," Uy told Reuters in a telephone interview. He said farm water catchment basins atop mountains had given way due to the torrential rains, sending down heavy volumes of water to the flatlands below. Damage to agriculture and infrastructure in Compostela Valley province could reach at least 4 billion
peso The peso is the monetary unit of several Hispanophone, Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America, as well as the Philippines. Originating in the Spanish Empire, the word translates to "weight". In most countries of the Americas, the symbol com ...
s, equivalent to €75 million or $98 million U.S., with the typhoon destroying 70–80% of plantations, mostly bananas for export, Uy said. By the evening of December 5, 280 fatalities had been reported on the islands with hundreds missing, while rescuers were attempting to reach areas cut off by floods and mudslides.


December 6

The civil defense office said that at least 326 people had been confirmed dead and another 379 remained missing. In Compostela Valley province alone, at least 184 people died, many when flash floods had hit emergency shelters where they had taken refuge. Social Welfare Secretary
Corazon Soliman Corazon Victoria "Dinky" Nerves Juliano-Soliman (January 27, 1953 – September 19, 2021) was a Filipina politician, activist and social worker who served as Secretary of Social Welfare and Development twice, under President Gloria Macapagal Arr ...
said the government had sought help from the Swiss-based
International Organization for Migration The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is a United Nations related organization working in the field of migration. The organization implements operational assistance programmes for Human migration, migrants, including internally displa ...
to build temporary shelters for Bopha survivors.
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
Benigno Aquino III Benigno Simeon Aquino III (; born Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III; February 8, 1960 – June 24, 2021), also known as Noynoy Aquino and colloquially as PNoy, was a Filipino politician who served as the 15th president of the Philippines ...
sent navy ships with food and other supplies to 150,000 people on
Mindanao Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...
's east coast, where three towns remained cut off by landslides and wrecked bridges. Officials said many of the Mindanao victims were poor migrants who had flocked by the thousands to mountainous, landslide-prone sites like the towns of New Bataan and Monkayo to work at unregulated small-scale
gold mines Gold mining is the extraction of gold by mining. Historically, mining gold from alluvial deposits used manual separation processes, such as gold panning. The expansion of gold mining to ores that are not on the surface has led to more complex ...
. The
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is a worldwide humanitarian aid organization that reaches 160 million people each year through its 191 member National Societies. It acts before, during and after disas ...
issued an urgent appeal for $4.8 million to help people directly affected by the typhoon. "We had a problem of where to take the evacuees. All the evacuation centers have lost their roofs,"
Davao Oriental Davao Oriental (; ), officially the Province of Davao Oriental (; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Davao Region in Mindanao. Its capital is the city of Mati, Davao Oriental, Mati which is the most ...
Gov. Corazon Nunez-Malanyaon said. Later that day, 475 were confirmed dead, and the government appealed for international help.


December 7

Due to the typhoon damage, Proclamation No. 522 signed by President Benigno Aquino III placed the Philippines under state of national calamity.


December 8

Nearly 600 fatalities have been confirmed, and hundreds are still missing as the storm has made a
U-turn A U-turn in driving refers to performing a 180° rotation to reverse the direction of travel. It is called a "U-turn" because the maneuver looks like the U, letter U. In some areas, the maneuver is illegal, while in others, it is treated as ...
and threatens the country's northwest.


December 9

548 people are confirmed dead, and 827 are missing.


December 10

Philippines disaster chief says 647 deaths have been confirmed and is likely to rise. 780 people are still missing, including hundreds of fishermen. The storm has caused crop damage worth 8.5 billion pesos ($210 million).


December 13

The
National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), formerly known as the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) until August 2011, is a working group of various government, non-government, civil sector and private sect ...
placed the death toll from the typhoon at 902 and could reach a thousand as 635 remain missing. Of the dead, 567 have been identified. The NDRRMC said most of the reported deaths were in the badly hit provinces of
Davao Oriental Davao Oriental (; ), officially the Province of Davao Oriental (; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Davao Region in Mindanao. Its capital is the city of Mati, Davao Oriental, Mati which is the most ...
and Compostela Valley. The NDRRMC said that 296 of the more than 300 missing tuna fishermen from
General Santos General Santos, officially the City of General Santos and abbreviated as GenSan, is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Regions of the Philippines, region of Soccsksargen, Philippines. According to ...
have been rescued by Task Force Maritime Search and Rescue SarGen and to date, only 14 persons remain missing in General Santos. At least 80,000 people were left homeless.


December 15

The death toll reached 1,067 people, with most in
Mindanao Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...
, where floods and landslides caused major damage on December 4. A total of 834 people remain missing, about half of them are fishermen.


Aftermath


International aid and assistance

* : The European Commission provided Euro 10 million (₱543 million) for the victims of Typhoon Bopha, notably in the regions of Compostella Valley and Davao Oriental in Mindanao. * : The Australian government provided A$7.3 million (₱307 million) for the victims of Typhoon Bopha which mostly affected Visayas and Mindanao earlier this month. * : The Chinese government presented over US$200,000 in aid to the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines. The Red Cross Society of China also donated US$30,000 to the Philippine Red Cross. * : The Indonesian government gave US$1 million and 4 tons of relief goods to help the typhoon victims, coursing the assistance through the
Armed Forces of the Philippines The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) () are the military forces of the Philippines. It consists of three main service branches; the Philippine Army, Army, the Philippine Air Force, Air Force, and the Philippine Navy, Navy (including the P ...
. * : The Japanese government announced that it provided an additional $4.2 million emergency grant aid to the Philippines for the victims of Typhoon Pablo (Bopha). * : Laos extended US$30,000 in aid to the victims of the typhoon * : The Myanmar government donated US$50,000 in rehabilitation aid to the Philippines. * : Sri Lanka gave US$25,000 in aid to the Philippines for the rebuilding of homes destroyed by the typhoon. * : The Timor-Leste government extended US$750,000 in assistance to the victims of Typhoon Bopha.


Retirement

Due to its high death toll and damage, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) announced that the name ''Pablo'' was decommissioned and will no longer be used for tropical cyclones. In February 2013, PAGASA selected the name ''Pepito'' to replace ''Pablo'' for the 2016 season, but due to the limited number of typhoons in the season, the name was instead first used in the 2020 season. In February 2013, the ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee announced that ''Bopha'' will also be retired from its naming lists and was replaced with the name ''Ampil''. The name Ampil was first used in the 2018 season.


See also

* List of Equatorial tropical cyclones * Typhoon Kate (1970) * Typhoon Tembin (2017) *
Typhoon Ike Typhoon Ike, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Nitang, was the second deadliest tropical cyclone in the 20th century in the Philippines. Ike originated from an area of disturbed weather southeast of Guam on August 21, 1984, and five days ...
*
Tropical Storm Washi Severe Tropical Storm Washi, known in the Philippines as Severe Tropical Storm Sendong, was a late-season tropical cyclone that caused around 1,200 to 2,500 deaths and catastrophic damage in the Philippines in late 2011. Washi made landfall o ...
*
Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Yolanda, was an extremely powerful and catastrophic tropical cyclone that is among List of the most intense tropical cyclones, the most powerful tropical cyclones ever recorded. Upon ...
* Typhoon Louise – another powerful typhoon that struck Mindanao as a Category 5. *
Typhoon Rai Typhoon Rai, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Odette, was a deadly and extremely destructive super typhoon, which was the second costliest typhoon in Philippine history behind Typhoon Haiyan in 2013. Rai was a powerful rare tropical c ...
– a powerful typhoon that impacted similar areas as Bopha in 2021 *
Tropical Storm Nalgae Severe Tropical Storm Nalgae, known in the Philippines as Severe Tropical Storm Paeng, was a very large and deadly tropical cyclone that wreaked havoc across the Philippines and later impacted Hong Kong and Macau in late October 2022. Nalgae, m ...
– a tropical storm that caused deadly flooding in that area even though the storm didn't make landfall in Mindanao.


Notes


References


External links


JMA General Information
of Typhoon Bopha (1224) from Digital Typhoon
JMA Best Track Data
of Typhoon Bopha (1224)
JTWC Best Track Data
of Super Typhoon 26W (Bopha)
26W.BOPHA
from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
Humanitarian response information
of Typhoon Bopha via ReliefWeb {{DEFAULTSORT:Bopha (2012) 2012 Pacific typhoon season December 2012 in the Philippines 2012 disasters in the Philippines Typhoons in the Federated States of Micronesia Typhoons in Palau Typhoons in the Philippines Retired Pacific typhoons Bopha